Archinect - News

AIA criticizes SCOTUS decision limiting EPA regulation of carbon emissions

2022-07-05T12:57:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects has released a statement criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that restricts the EPA’s authority to mandate carbon emissions reductions. The ruling, which decided the case West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, is described by the AIA as a “setback in the climate crisis fight.”

The decision rules that significant new regulations by the EPA require congressional approval and was decided along ideological lines with six conservative justices in favor, and three liberal justices against. While the case stemmed from the question of how the EPA could regulate coal-fired power plants, the decision may have knock-on effects for future federal climate initiatives.

“That's a very big deal because they're not going to get it from Congress because Congress is essentially dysfunctional,” Harvard law professor Richard Lazarus told NPR. “This could not have...

After years of improvement, air pollution in the U.S. is getting worse again

2019-10-24T14:09:00-04:00

Air pollution worsened in the United States in 2017 and 2018, new data shows, a reversal after years of sustained improvement with significant implications for public health. In 2018 alone, eroding air quality was linked to nearly 10,000 additional deaths in the U.S. relative to the 2016 benchmark, the year in which small-particle pollution reached a two-decade low, according to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Washington Post reports that "concentrations of the pollutant have risen about 5.5 percent since 2016," and points out several contributing factors that the Carnegie Mellon study identified: increased natural gas use and vehicle traffic, risen severity and frequency of wildfires, and the rollback of regulatory enforcement of the Clean Air Act in recent years.

"The health implications of this increase in [annual average fine particulate matter] PM2.5 between 2016 and 2018 are significant," explains the research paper. "The increase was associated with 9,700 additional premature deaths in 2018. At conventional valuations, these deaths represent damages of $89 billion."

EPA regulation reform opens the door to new asbestos use in manufacturing, and architects are angry

2018-08-08T14:44:00-04:00

According to Fast Company, the Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to make the use of asbestos in manufacturing much easier. In June, under Scott Pruitt's leadership, the agency proposed the Significant New Use Rule (SNUR)—open for comment until August 10—that would allow for new uses of asbestos-containing products on a case by case basis.

Although banned in more than 55 countries, the United State has left use of the dangerous carcinogen open, choosing instead to heavily restrict and regulate the fibrous mineral. Despite efforts under the 1973 Clean Air Act and the 1989 Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule—the latter of which was overturned in 1991—asbestos, today, is still allowed in hundreds of consumer goods as long as it accounts for less than one percent of the product.

In addition to SNUR, the EPA also announced it will no longer review exposures from abandoned uses of asbestos. During the Obama Administration, under an amendment to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Ac...

What goes down, must come up?

2017-12-19T12:10:00-05:00

Dan Becker, president of the Safe Climate Campaign, told E&E News that "a sewer problem at HQ headquarters has resulted in poop exploding out of water fountains."

In a somewhat unusual, and fitting turn of events, the EPA's offices are beginning to speak up and not necessarily in the most conventional way. The building itself has found its mode of most eloquent communication by using sewer plumbing inadequacies to flood the Washington offices with black, excrement-filled water that is emanating from water fountains throughout the building.

Considering the EPA's persistent urge to do away with Obama-era protections aimed at providing drinkable water to Americans, it seems only fitting for the EPA to find themselves in its current predicament. As they say, you have made your bed, now lie in it.

Architect David Lake pens compelling letter to Congressman decrying proposed cuts to EPA's "Energy Star"

2017-04-04T20:29:00-04:00

As we discussed at the Witte, the EPA’s “Energy Star,” indoor air quality, and materials safety programs directly support the design and construction industry each and every day. The proposed EPA budget eliminates funding for these programs and will severely impact the ability of engineers and architects to meet client demands, fulfill our contractual obligations, and carry out the duties of our licensure to protect the public.

In response to a letter in which Texan Republican Congressman Lamar Smith told David Lake that he gets all of his news from a "biased liberal media," Lake not only kindly (and eloquently) rebutted this inaccuracy, but also encouraged the Congressman not to defund the EPA if he still wants to live in a world with excellent design and construction. Specifically, cutting the EPA's "Energy Star" program will negatively impact the public realm (and generally lead to less excellence in the architecture profession itself).

Last week today, June 8-15 2015: BIG projects, big opinions

2015-06-15T18:33:00-04:00

Friday, June 12:

The new OMA-designed Garage Museum opens in Moscow: On the design, Koolhaas has been quoted with "not restoring the building, but preserving its decay". The original Soviet-era building used to be a restaurant.

Thursday, June 11:

Stargazing with Patrik Schumacher: Episode 33 of Archinect Sessions: Patrik Schumacher discusses his recent op-ed for Archinect.
The Cooper Union turmoil continues: President Jamshed Bharucha resigns: In the midst of student protests and five trustees resigning, President Bharucha also stepped down last week. This came after the Cooper Union's Board had already voted not to renew Bharucha's contract as president next year.

Wednesday, June 10:

Five Cooper Union trustees just resigned: Among them were Daniel Libeskind, Mark Epstein (the board’s former chairman), Vassar College president Catharine Bond Hill, Francois de Menil (the board’s vice chairman), and investment banker Monica Vachher.
Locals welcome The 606, a.k.a. Chicago's "High Line", but a...

EPA study finds no evidence that fracking has lead to polluted drinking water

2015-06-08T19:31:00-04:00

The EPA's draft assessment was conducted at the request of Congress. "It is the most complete compilation of scientific data to date," says Burke, "including over 950 sources of information, published papers, numerous technical reports, information from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports." [...] The EPA study does identify some potential vulnerabilities to drinking water.

At this stage, the study is the "most complete compilation of scientific data to date," says Tom Burke, deputy assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Research and Development. But as a "draft assessment", the study still needs to be reviewed by the Science Advisory Board, and be made open for public comment, before its findings are finalized.

Predictably, environmental groups are not pleased with the EPA's findings, as it corroborates what the American Petroleum Institute has insisted from the beginning: that fracking has always followed preexisting safety regulations. According to NPR, Food & Water Watch, which wants to ban fracking, said the report "has the industry's oil fingerprints all over it." While the EPA study finds no evidence of fracking having led to demonstrable cases of polluted drinking water, it does acknowledge that fracking can adversely affect drinking water – read the full report here.

Hydraulic fracturing, aka fracking, has led to economic booms in areas ...